WE are deeply concerned about the impact of the current definition of terminal illness used for eligibility for benefits, including Personal Independence Payments (PIP) in Northern Ireland.

PIP has special rules for applicants with terminal illnesses, which allow people to access payments quicker and without a face-to-face assessment.

However, this avenue is only open to those who have been given a prognosis of six months or less. This restriction is unfairly excluding many people with terminal illnesses. Over 90% of people accessing PIP via the terminal illness rules have cancer, despite the condition accounting for less than a third of deaths in Northern Ireland.

This is largely because cancer has a more easily defined disease trajectory and it is easier to predict when someone is in the last six months of life, giving clinicians more confidence to sign off the benefit forms.

Many other terminal illnesses have more unpredictable trajectories and life expectancy is harder to predict accurately. Many terminally ill people, including those with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), chronic heart failure and COPD, fail to access PIP under the special rules, meaning they have to wait much longer for their payments and undergo face-to-face assessments.

This is unfair and denies people the best quality of life during the time they have left. The Scottish government has adopted a definition of terminal illness based on clinical judgment, rather than a time-bound estimation of life expectancy. We believe the situation should also be reviewed in Northern Ireland with a view to aligning with the Scottish approach.

This compassionate model will allow many more with terminal illnesses to get the help they need when they need it.